Tag: involved

Tweens are emerging teens, but they’re still children. They’ll astonish you with their ability to conceptualize, to argue brilliantly, and then to do foolish things.

The biggest danger for tweens is losing the connection to parents while struggling to find their place and connect in their peer world. The biggest danger for parents is trying to parent through power instead of through relationship, thus eroding their bond and losing their influence on their teen.

Belonging to a close family can certainly bring joy and happiness to your life and your marriage. However, if your mother is the first person you call when you have good news to share rather than your wife or husband, it’s definitely time to shift your focus. Here are nine scenarios of being too close and how you can handle them:

1. You head straight for your mom's house whenever you crave a home-cooked meal and sit down at "your" chair at the family table.

"Mom! You are so embarrassing!"

Hearing this from your precious offspring who, one short year ago, considered you the center of their universe may be difficult to accept. Even though you’ve heard that it’s not uncommon for a sweet young child to turn into a less-than-pleasant adolescent, you secretly hoped that your child would be the one exception. Your pride and joy goes from idolizing you to ducking around the corner at the thought of being seen with you in public. While there’s no magic wand that allows a parent to have their child skip over the teen years, there are some time-tested tips that will help along the journey.

As the lives of our growing teens become more demanding and involved, they move further away from the family routine of their childhood. Being excited about Mom’s help in school, play dates and the general support that you and your spouse provide will begin to fade as they progress through their teen years and become more dependent on friends and others outside of the family circle.

You and your spouse may struggle with this time as it means trying to find new ways to connect. Some parents take the "let’s be buddies" route: